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Deer / Auto Collisions in Kentucky

Believe it or not, when it comes to our worst enemy in the animal kingdom, sharks, alligators, snakes and other commonly feared animals need not apply. In fact, none of the "terrifying" animals portrayed as " killers" in our culture are responsible for the most human deaths.

The animals that claim the largest number of lives in the United States are deer. "The Insurance Information Institute estimates that there are more than 1.6 million deer-vehicle collisions each year, resulting in 150 occupant deaths, tens of thousands of injuries and over $3.6 billion in vehicle damage. An additional billion dollars is spent on medical payments for injuries to people in the car and out-of-pocket expenses paid by vehicle owners, bringing the total cost to approximately $4.6 billion. The average claim for deer-vehicle collisions is $3,000, with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of the damage." (quoted from (http://www.iii.org/press_releases/warning-to-motorists-fall-is-peak-season-for-deer-vehicle-collisions.html)

While the percentage of deer collisions resulting in a fatality is relatively low in Kentucky as compared to the nation, it is extremely important to recognize this ever-present risk. October, November, and December months see a huge increase in deer activity because of the run of mating season. Nearly 47% of all collisions with deer annually take place during this three-month period. November is by far the month of highest deer / auto collision incidence.

Deer / Auto collisions also follow a pattern over a 24 hour period. The highest likelihood for a collision with deer is during the peak hours in the evening between 5 PM and 8 PM, and in the morning between 5 AM and 8 M. 53% of all collisions happened in that timeframe for past five years.

On this page, you can view the following information:

Annual Deer / Auto Collisions

Updated 03/25/14

Year

Number of Deer Collisions

Fatalities

Injured

2009

3,070

1

176

2010

3,118

4

169

2011

2,976

3

146

2012

2,798

0

140

2013

2,985

0

137

(Source: KSP CRASH)

Deer / Auto Collisions by Month

Updated 03/25/14

October, November, and December months see a huge increase in deer activity because of the run of mating season. Nearly 47% of all collisions with deer annually take place during this three-month period. The following shows an average number of collisions in the Commonwealth per month over the past five-year period. November is by far the month of highest deer / auto collision incidence.

Month

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Total

Average

January

183

175

199

204

189

950

190

February

146

170

198

164

139

817

163

March

159

194

195

182

179

909

182

April

179

171

168

166

171

855

171

May

206

197

234

187

196

1,020

204

June

228

209

230

201

214

1,082

216

July

130

153

136

136

134

689

138

August

114

111

120

114

108

567

113

September

140

177

152

127

177

773

155

October

374

461

350

380

374

1,939

388

November

940

812

697

679

806

3,934

787

December

271

288

297

258

298

1,412

282

High Detail Kentucky Deer Collision Map

Updated 03/25/14

This map shows concentrations of reported deer collisions over a five-year period in the month of November.

Click here or on the image thumbnail
for a high resolution deer collision
map in Adobe pdf format.

Deer Collisions by County - Total Percentage

The map below shows an average number of deer / auto collisions for each county over the past five years.